Books, Books, and more Books

At the start of 2009 I made some goals and resolutions and I also forced myself (with the urging of my husband) to clean out my bookshelves yet again. Last year I bought, traded, and was given such an enormous amount of books (some of which are still waiting for me) that I had to buy two new bookshelves. Cleaning out my collection seemed doubly hard this year because I discovered many different genres (paranormal, urban fantasy, sci-fi, etc.) and so many amazing new authors.

The bookshelf in my bedroom houses my definite keepers. These are comprised of books by authors such as Linda Howard, Julia Quinn, Marian Keyes, Lisa Marie Rice, and Jane Austen to name a few. These books I know I’ll read again and again. And even if it’ll be a couple years until I get to them, some books I simply cannot part with.

The bookshelf next to my computer is comprised of craft books, dictionaries, tons of travel books, old copies of Better Homes and Gardens (don’t ask) and a random book on feng shui—which if you could see my office you’d know I’m not utilizing.

For some reason when I finish a book and I love it, I find it hard to part with, even if I know I won’t read it again. I know it will gather dust on my shelf, but I just can’t seem to give it away. Last year I loved the first two books in a three book series and absolutely hated the third book, but can’t part with it because it seems wrong to separate them.

Are you a book hoarder or you do freely pass on your reads? What happens if you don’t care for a book? Do you still pass it on to a friend? What authors do you find yourself going back to again and again?

E-published? Stand up and Be Counted!

There was a mass migration of applicants to an RWA chapter of which I'm a member yesterday, and I have to tell ya, I'm thrilled to see it.

Whining about RWA's perceived snubs of the small press and e-published is one thing, and God knows I'm as guilty as any of it. But getting off our collective arses and making our voices heard through the existing framework within RWA is another, more effective method for those who disagree with RWA policies.

I'm thrilled by the number of signatures collected thus far on a petition urging RWA to reconsider the (clandestine) exclusion of certain small press and e-published authors from participating in the coveted RITA award. It tells me our numbers are growing.

Something Kristen Painter said on a loop we both belong to really hit home with me, and yes, I'm paraphrasing the bejesus out of what she said. But the gist of it was this. We, the dues paying members, are RWA. And she's right. Without us, our dues, and our support, there would be no RWA.

When it comes to the formation of the RWA board, we all have a vote, and every vote is important. If we want our plights as small press published and epublished authors to rise within the esteem of the RWA board, it is time to make ourselves an active, unified part of the change so many of us want.

There is a chapter within RWA, The Electronic and Small Press Authors Network (ESPAN) that exists "to enhance the careers of those members of RWA who are contracted with or have released books through electronic and small press publishers."

I suggest you do what so many other e-pubbed authors this week have done and join us. As per the chapter mission statement, "ESPAN will constantly strive to advocate for the good of the industry and the successful careers of its romance authors. In addition ESPAN will be an educational conduit to those who are interested in learning more about the industry and the part it plays in developing career romance authors."

Identifying the problem is easy, and thanks to Kristen Painter's efforts, that has been done.

It's up to us, as authors, to go the extra mile. Put your mouth where your money is and become part of the solution. The powers at be at RWA need to hear from us as a unified voice in an official capacity.

A personal note to our readers!

Uh oh, she's back. :)

For those of you who have emailed to see why I've been so silent of late, I do apologize for falling off the face of the earth--and during a release month, too.

My family and myself are dealing with the fact that our oldest son has regressive catatonia. While the news was not a complete surprise, the search for and confirmation of his diagnosis was emotionally paralyzing. On the bright side, his situatation is not as gloom and doom as we originally originally feared. There is plenty of room for hope. And thank God for...well, being God. He gets us through.

With that said, if you haven't heard from me and need to, please do resend any emails to starmuse23@gmail.com My email boxes overfloweth. :( A mass delete is definitely in order.

What Makes the Perfect Hero?

This is my first day at Writers Gone Wild so what did I decide to chat about? Men of course! Heroes in particular.

What makes the perfect hero? Apart from being tall, dark, sexy, and *cough* well-endowed, I’m very picky about the men I read.

I’m definitely not into the metrosexual man. Give me a dirty, rough-neck cowboy any day of the week over a man in a designer suit. However, there are a few authors who write about metrosexual types that I dig, but these guys are usually vampires and can kick anyone’s ass so it pretty much evens out.

I LOVE an alpha male, but not an alpha asshole. There’s a fine line between being a take charge kind of man, and someone who just takes over, regardless of anyone’s feelings, namely the heroine. So, the right kind of hero has got to actually listen to what his woman says and value her opinion. Linda Howard treads that line, and damn does she know how to write the perfect kind of alpha male.

Next on my list is the tortured soul. I definitely have a thing for the darker, lonely hero. Valerius Magnus from Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Seize the Night will always be a favorite of mine for that reason.

A sense of humor is also a big thing. When bullets are flying, vampires are chasing them, or an angry goddess has unleashed hell on the world, I want a man who can make my heroine laugh in any situation.


I guess what the perfect hero comes down to for me is a man who puts the heroine before all others. At the end of the day, she’s the most important thing to him. He might not like her at the moment, or even trust her, but he’d do anything for her. I don’t care if he’s an alpha or beta hero, I just have to know he’d sacrifice anything for the woman he loves. What qualities make the perfect hero for you?

RWA Unity My Arse

For the moment, I'm boycotting the RWA national conference in 2009.

I'm sure many of you are aware of the petition that was intitiated by RWA member Kristen Painter regarding the unfair treatment of ebook authors by RWA when it comes to entering the RITA contest.

If you have not signed the petition, and you are a dues paying member of RWA, I urge you to consider doing so

Let me preface my opinion on this by saying that Romance Writers of America, as an organization, has done a lot of good for a lot of writers. With that said, sometimes the actions of the organization come off as looking more than a little cloak and dagger when it comes to unilaterally looking after the interests their (paying) membership.

Now is one of those times. Once again, ebook authors are on the losing end of RWA's practices.

While the published theme of the month of RWA is "unity", the organization's practices toward that portion of their membership who have signed on with epublishers is suggestive of anything but member unity.

Given the success of the Kindle ebook reader,a substantial number of ebook authors, and ebook outlets such as Samhain and Ellora's Cave, it's time the organization that claims to protect the interests of *all* romance writers gets with the millenium and acknowledges that epublishing is a viable, lucrative career path for a romance authors.

While I have a print title coming out this summer, ebooks are my bread and butter. In my opinion, my e titles are superior to my print title, and my eventures promise to make me far more money over the long haul than my print publication ever could.

Until RWA chooses to allow PAN members who have written ebooks to enter the RITA contest alongside their print published peers, I see no reason to attend the national conference.

If RWA intends to charge me the same dues as print published members, then I expect equal access to the same member benfits enjoyed by my print published sisters.

Now I remember why I boycotted joining RWA's PAN membership in the first place.

Life is Stranger than Fiction....

Have you ever tried to come up with the craziest things that even people who you know well may not know about you?

I did this last night, and a few of them actually inspired some sketchy ideas for stories. Cause ya know, fiction writing is pretty much just taking bits and pieces of real life, shaking them up in a bag, and letting them out to see what's left. The story begins when you take those leavings and start lying your bootie off about them.

(Yes,when I'm wildly famous, you can quote me on that. I know, a snowball's chance of that happening, but a girl can dream big, yes?)

So, here we go. The craziest things I can pretty much bet none of my friends (and most of my family) don't know about me are:


- I once kissed Billy Ray Cyrus in the parking lot of a bar in Ashland, KY called Carl's. That was loooooong before all the purty dental work wayyyy back when everyone new him as Sly or Sly Dog. Was it worth it? I'll save that for my tell all memoir. :)

- I once singed my eye lashes off with a fire baton. Sexy, baby.

- I blew my one, ultra calculated attempt at a one night stand. Seventeen years, three kids later and enough debt to fund a small country later....

-My first contracted erotic mermaid romance, Heart Storm, started off as a children's book. Yeah, blew that concept, too. I'm good at that.

-In a fit of rage, I once threw a one carat diamond ring into the Ohio River.

-I came within hours of marrying a man who never bothered to divorce his first two wives. Thus the Ohio River gig. Looking back, it was probably either stolen or CZ...

-When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a Hawaiian Princess/hula dancer when I grew up. Alas, my hopes were dashed by my milky complexion.

-I really do believe in Santa. Don't even try to talk me out of it.

-I'm still afraid of the dark.

-Never, ever touch my neck without telling me first. I promise the result will hurt you more than it will hurt me. :-)

-Thanks to partying with a bunch of dudes from Franklin County, Va during my college years, I can play both the spoons AND a pretty mean moonshine jug.

-Tequila makes me pregnant. I offer children 1 and 3 as evidence.

-My middle child was conceived on Christmas Day, no tequila needed. Thanks, Santa! ;c)

-Given the choice between a good Pad Thai and a night alone with a very naked and amorous Gerard Butler....hmmmm...can I have the Pad Thai *on* Gerard Butler? Hmmmmm....now *there* a thought for a very naughty scene...

*Thanks to Shelli Stevens facebook page for inspiring this blog! If you haven't read Shelli's steamy romances, then you're in for a treat.

Crazy Holiday Blues and So many choices!

For those of you who were playing in my last excerpt contest, I haven't forgotten you. My son was ill over the holidays and I pretty much dropped from the face of the earth. After Jan 12 I should have a lull in his tests and I'll post the balance of the contest. So hang onto those entry answers!

You know, maybe its all the health stuff my boy faced, but all I can say for the holidays is that as much as I love them, long for them, need them in my life...I'm glad they're over until next year. I spent the week taking down the (way excessive) decorations and shoving them out into the garage for DH to take up into the hellsmouth--er...attic. Poor DS still has an EMG to get through and then maybe...just maybe...we'll find out for certain what's been going on with him.

Sometimes I go through a bit of a post holiday slump where it seems like winter will never end. So, I'm trying to decide on which book will be the most fun to finish next since they're both pretty much 1/3 of the way done. I'm pretty broad in my writing tastes, and usually end up just writing the kind of story that flips my switch at the time, so my stories tend to run from light and sparkly to angsty and brooding.

This time I'm at my wits end trying to decide which way to go. So, I'll let you guys choose which overview you like best, Heart of Stone vs. Kiss of the Cerberus. Light vs. Dark. As usual LOL. :)

Heart of Stone:


Fate is so unfair.

Medusa's two Gorgon sisters got to be immortals. But not Medusa. Turned out she as mortal as they come. Worse, every time she almost got lucky, the man of her desires didn't just get a hard on. He turned completely to stone. Then Medusa completely lost her head over Perseus. That little faux pas landed her in Hades for all Eternity. And as a virgin, too. Well, almost.

Hades can't face the idea of spending an eternity listening to Medusa whine about her ill-conceived fate. So he makes a deal with Medusa that she can't refuse. Sure she can go back to earth and seek true love. She will get three chances to win a man's heart. If she can manage to do this without turning him to stone, she will not only get laid, she'll earn immortality. But if she fails, she'll spend her eternity as a mannequin in the Peoria Saks Fifth Avenue Factory Outlet, decked out in last season's seventy-five percent off designer seconds.

Either way, Hades wins.

Next thing Medusa knows she's standing buck naked in a dark alley where a group of down on their luck stoners make their homes. At the urging the troubled, but once infamous top-model/crack addict Athena Sebastian, Medusa finds herself spilling her troubles at a narc-anon meeting. "Hi. I'm Medusa. I'm a s-stoner. And I've hit rock bottom...."

Under the tutelage her new support group, Medusa turns her life over to a higher power--a studalicious Tantric Yoga Master--and embarks full throttle on her twelve step program in hopes of curing herself of her addiction to turning her lovers to stone once and for all. But Medusa's friend Athena has her own past life ax to grind, and Medusa is the ticket for revenge she's waited an eternity for.


Fang Cell, Book 1: Kiss of the Cerberus

Some legends are born. Others are made. But the legend of FANG CELL was forged at the gates of Hell itself.

On December 21, 2012, the world of Naval Special Operations changed forever.

Now, a virtual warfare experiment gone wrong has torn a rift between the virtual realm and the physical one. The war game's fearsome supernatural warrior, Ryder Black, has been catapulted into physical reality. Capable of assuming the form of the Cerberus who guards the gates of Hell, he holds the power to summon demonic scourges upon the heads of his enemies.

Now Ryder Black’s DNA is being exploited by a ruthless Navy Captain hell bent on creating an immortal army known as Fang Cell.Discovering that the war game’s highly addictive substance known as Immortium has entered reality along with Ryder Black, the Navy now holds the power to cage and control the supernatural operatives like animals. The hopelessly addicted Fangs are forced to do a madman's bidding on the battlefield, or to face a hellish withdrawal from the substance they would gladly kill for one more dose of.

But the balance of power over the Fangs is threatened by the discovery that there is more to Immortium than its ability to render Fangs compliant. When human women begin shooting the mysterious drug for its unmatched aphrodisiac effect, the Fangs begin to learn that the will of the heart is far more powerful than the evil aspirations of a madman. But can the power of love possibly be enough to help the Fangs stop a self-serving Naval Officer from unleashing the scourges of Hell on an unsuspecting world?

Only the passions stirred in the hearts of the Fangs by the women who love them will serve to elevate their stories into the stuff of legend.